Wednesday, December 7, 2011

I love Chistmastime and all the glitz, sparkle and bling that surrounds it. I always did. My favorite job was working in a department store and seeing it all decorated at Christmastime. As I was growing up, we had a silver aluminum tree. I always thought it was the ugliest thing I ever saw. My mom eventually threw it out. It was even in the original box. Well guess what. All of these years later, I have 3 miniature silver aluminum trees and I think that they are wonderful. My favorite one was used in a department store as a prop. Each aluminum tree has a theme. The smallest one is decorated with vintage Santas, one is decorated with vintage elves and other figures and the third one is decorated with ball ornaments either glass or some other material.

I collect vintage ornaments all year round. I especially love elves and Santas. My collection has grown, but I love to see it every year. It brings me so much delight. I don't put out everything; I don't have the display space for it. We put up our tree on Sunday. (We always buy it at Menards and it was only $22.88. ) It is the best tree we have ever had. It is so full and is still drinking water, so I can keep it up until after the New Year without it losing all of its needles. The kids kept asking me if we were done decorating it because I have so many ornaments to put on the tree. It was never ending. We tailored it down and put on as many ornaments as we could fit without making it look tacky. It is splendid!

I was at Interiors Anew yesterday and found some vintage ornaments. One of my favorites is an elf made with pinecones. It was made in Japan. I have a nice collection of them. They are pretty old and so neat. I don't display them too often since they are rather fragile.

Besides decorating for Christmas, I have been going through my collections and have begun listing some things on Ebay. That should keep me busy throughout the winter. Next, onto the kids stuff.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Carriage House Antiques in Crystal Lake held their Christmas open house this weekend. I like to stop by on the first night which was Thursday evening, but Austin had a basketball game. So, I went on Friday and had fun looking at all of the Christmas ornaments. I managed to find an elf ornament that I didn't have. An elfs head was on a star. I had not seen an ornament like that before. I had to have it. I bought a few more ornaments that I didn't have. It's getting harder and harder to find vintage ornaments that I like or don't have. I couldn't believe the collection of vintage ornaments that I have. I will take pictures of my "Christmas wonderland" and post them soon. I found my mom a holiday troll in a Santa suit. It is really cute (if a troll can be cute). I also found a really nice vintage pin. My collection keeps growing. I entered their raffle and ate some cookies too. This is a really neat store to find unique items. I especially like going to their holiday sale.

I have gone to some estate sales and charity sales and haven't found anything worth while lately. I am happy to say that the vintage Florida tablecloth that I found at the Goodwill sold on Ebay the other day. I made a nice profit! That makes looking at sales all the more fun.

Now is the time of year that I want to purge my house. I will start in the kids rooms soon and look for more shelving options to hold their growing collections. We will begin sorting things for our garage sale in April. Everything is starting to look too cluttered. I will post pictures of my decorating additions in the near future.

Here is a good deal that I took advantage of on Tuesday at the Sears Outlet in Woodstock. Every Tuesday until the end of December, if you are a Sears/Kmart reward member, you get 1 piece of clothing for free. I got Ethan a shirt since he has been outgrowing all of his shirts. At least Austin is getting a nice wardrobe from it. I will be going every Tuesday for 1 item. Deals can be found everywhere; if you are willing to look for them.

Also, TJMaxx in Crystal Lake had some great clearance items this week. I happened to be there on the day that everything was being marked down and put out. I bought some items for gifts and stocked up on candles. When the kids and I packed the teacher's gifts last night, we had enough candles for each of them plus the cowls that I had been knitting. (Each cowl has a pin on it. I like to put decorative pins on the cowls and bags that I knit. The pin then is an additional gift). I think their gifts this year are really nice; if I do say so myself. We went through my box of gift items and finally used gift items that I have been storing for awhile. It pays to buy things throughout the year when the prices are good, so that you always have gifts on hand for when you need them. I need to restock my gift giving box now. Another incentive to keep looking for those deals.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I have been trying to go to the thrift stores more often now that garage sales are few and far between. I haven't been finding a lot lately. We did buy a lot of books and video games at the Algonquin Library book sale. This was the first time that they had hundreds of video games for all systems. Of course, the kids went crazy, but were very good on selecting only a few of the ones that they really wanted. (They were only $5-$8 each).

I did take the family to the Sears Clothing Outlet on Route 47 in Woodstock (formerly the Kmart building). They had a special: fit up to 10 items in a bag that they gave you to use and each item was $5. Since they are finally carrying men's clothes, I had the boys try on sweaters. We did buy 9 sweaters between the 2 and for $5 each, it was a bargain. You have to be willing to go through racks and racks of clothes.

We then went to Fry's in Downers Grove. It is an electronics store. They did have deals on some items. You just had to be aware of prices elsewhere and just go for the sale prices in their brochure. We did some Christmas shopping.

Then, on Sunday, we did our yearly cheese run to Monroe Wisconsin. This is the second year in a row that it didn't snow. It was awfully windy though. We stopped first at the Maple Leaf Cheese outlet store and bought a few things. They lost power while we were there. It went on about 1 hour later. Then, we went to our favorite cheese store, Alp and Del and stocked up for the year. We always check the sale bins first. With a $30 or more purchase, they gave us a free chunk of cheese. There are always lots of samples to try. You can fill up on them. On we went to the Swiss Colony outlet store and bought mostly cakes and candy. They didn't have as much as they usually do at this time of year, but it was still worth the visit. I have cakes now for Thanksgiving and Christmas and whenever someone comes to visit. We always stop at Baumgartners for lunch on the square in Monroe. You can have the server toss a dollar bill (or more) to stick on the ceiling which will then be donated at the end of the year to charity. It is a no frills place, but generally good food. We now have enough cheese to last the year and we have had our fill for the next month, or more. We love to visit Monroe. They do have antique stores on the square and other cheese stores to visit. It is definitely a fun day trip.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

On Friday, I went to what I believe was the last rummage sale of the season. There were so many more people at the sale then I have seen in a long time. It was a mad rush for things and they were cleaned out very quickly. I managed to find some vintage aprons, one was made with chenille. I also found a lot of fabric and 2 costume jewelry pins.

On Saturday, the kids and I went to my favorite holiday sale, Mistletoe Magic at the Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock. I found a lot of costume jewerly pins, necklaces and bracelets. The table was packed with jewelry and I had to go around it at least 10 times to see what was turning up. I was surprised to see that one of the pins was sterling silver. I didn't know that until I got home and really looked at it. I also found a wonderful pink crocheted scarf and beret. The prices were so reasonable. Then, we went across the hall to buy homemade cookies by the pound. You get to pick the cookies you want to put in your box. The kids come with me only to get the cookies.

On the way to their Pokemon league, I saw an Estate Sale sign and had to go. I found 2 vintage Christmas ornaments. They were made in Japan and one was broken. So, since it was only $1, I bought it and hot glued it together when I got home. More for my ornament collection.

Next Friday is my favorite library book sale at the Algonquin library. We go right after school and buy, buy, buy. This is a fun sale. When you are done buying, the library treats you to cookies and lemonade. Sometimes I think we go to these events just for the food!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Now that the weather is turning colder, the sales are starting to dwindle. I have been trying to visit the resale/thrift stores. Shopping at Goodwill has been fun, but the merchandise is dwindling there also. I have found some really neat costume jewelry lately.

The 1st Congregational Church in Crystal Lake had their fall rummage sale on Wednesday. This is a good sale to go to. I did find a lot of costume jewelry here also. Mostly for me though. Only a few pieces to use on my knitting projects. (Most were $1 each). I also found a few doilies and a wonderful Christmas apron. I also found a vintage tablecloth of Alaska, which is up on ebay at this minute. I found the kids some empty Pokemon tins for their cards that are spread out all over their rooms and a Terminator mask and arm that shoots its hand.

Today the kids and I went exploring at some quaint antiqueish stores in Poplar Grove. I found a few vintage Christmas decorations. They will be starting their Christmas sales in a week or two. We stopped at a farm stand and bought some acorn squash and a cool pumpkin that looks like peanuts are growing on it. Pumpkins were $2 each to start clearing them out. Then, we headed over to Edwards Apple Orchard where we had lunch, played outside and bought some apple cider and dip mix. They always have a selection of items to taste test and of course we did that too. I consider bargain hunting taste testing also.

Here are some items that I got good deals on recently: Ethan needed a new winter coat and I looked everywhere for one. Farm and Fleet in Woodstock had the best deals and I got him 2 coats for $60.00. I found myself a new winter coat also from Calvin Klein at TJ Maxx. I started Christmas shopping on Wednesday at Toys R Us and bought the kids something (I can't say incase they are reading this) and in todays circular they were giving a free $19.99 item with each purchase of that item. So, since I bought 2, I went back to the store and got my 2 free items. (A nice deal while saving $40.00).

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. I love to collect vintage Christmas ornaments. I always start to decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. It is so much fun to look at my collection of Christmas items and to remember where they came from. One of my favorite holiday sales, Mistletoe Magic, is next Saturday Nov 5 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock. They sell handcrafted items, vintage items, costume jewelry etc and the place is a Christmas wonderland. We love to buy the handmade cookies that sell by the pound. I look forward to this all year long. Can't wait!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today was the opening day for the Goodwill store in Huntley. Of course, I had to go. It was a mob scene. You couldn't even get around the store. The employees were constantly putting out new merchandise, so I had to go thru the store a few times. I found the kids some items and I found a really old, neat porcelain dish for 49 cents. I also found a really nice aluminum basket with a glass dish insert for 99 cents and an old wrought iron basket with a wooden handle for $1.99. The best find were 2 vintage tablecloths. The one is a map of Florida and is very colorful. It will be going up for auction on Ebay soon. It is highly collectible. I also found 2 nice pins, of which one will be used on my knitting projects. The best part of all is that I had a 20% off coupon to use. (I have 2 more to use that are good until the end of November). Looks like I will be going back quite often.

Down the road from the Goodwill on Rte 47 is the Sweat Repeats Thrift Store. I stopped in and found another crocheted apron. This one is in blue and white. I also found a pink apron and it was half off since it was pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Not bad for $1.50. I also found another pin to use on my knitting projects. Next week they will open the Christmas wonderland, so I'll stop by again then.

This is going to be a fun treasure hunt filled week. Tomorrow is the Huntley First Congregational Church rummage sale. I never miss this huge one. Then on Friday is the Autumn Drive in Woodstock where about 13 farms/homes open up for selling goodies, pumpkins, you name it. It is a lot of fun and the weather should be cool for some Autumn fun. My cousin Barb and friend Mary will be joining me. I can't wait!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Wow! 3 rummage sales in one day. Now, that is what I call heaven! I took the kids to the first one at the McHenry Lutheran Church since it started at 8am. Ethan was thrilled that he found Pokemon videos in Japanese. It was his day! I found some wonderful quilted table runners. They were for all seasons. I put out the one for Autumn today. Of course, Austin found some super soakers. After I dropped them off at school, I headed over to the McHenry Methodist Church rummage sale that started at 9am. Everyone from the previous sale was there. I found some toys, jewelry and some sewing items. I even found the kids a PSP game for $1.50. Can't beat that.

I went to a few garage sales after that and bought some milk glass pieces I didn't have. Hard to believe that I can find milk glass that I don't have. I have been finding more and more of it lately.

At 5pm, it was time for the sale at the Methodist Church in Crystal Lake. Off went the kids and I and we headed straight for the toy room. Austin found some remote controlled dinosaurs and a bag full of create- your-own light sabers from Star Wars. Down in the housewares room I found, guess what, 1 piece of milk glass for 50 cents. The best find, was a Kate Spade handbag in like new condition. It will make a great gift.

You never know what treasures you will find. I love rummage sales for that reason. I always find lots of things. I spent some time today putting away my treasures. The best part about going to rummage sales is taking your time looking at and putting away the treasures that you find.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Sunday was the annual Cider Festival at the Historical Museum in Union. (I heard that it may not be next year). There is free admission to the museum on this day and the Quilt tour was going on. It was nice to see quilts from the 1800's and up. If you have never been to the museum, it is a must for local history. The exhibit this year was on the town of Harvard.

During the Cider Festival, they have a demonstration on making cider with a press, a one room school and cabin and a tractor race, plus other fun things. The best part is the white elephant sale that always has great things to buy, including books. We got there a little late, but, most things after 2pm were half price. So, we shopped. I got some really nice costume jewelry and linens. I found a wonderful crochet apron and dresser scarf. Of course the kids found a few things too. But, at half price, who could resist. It is a nice way to spend the day and this year the weather was fantastic.

They hold an event every July too. Make sure to mark your calendars. It is usually in the middle of the month.

I spent some time today cleaning up my vegetable garden. I still have a lot to go. I made sure to relocate my lavender to give it time to acclimate. I don't usually clean up the perennial plants until the Spring. (Unless they are showing signs of disease) I like to give the birds seeds to eat, but the garden also looks better in the snow with plants in it. It gives the snow something to cling to. The garden centers are having sales now on plants. This is the time to buy and to save money. Fall is the perfect time to plant, so go out and buy those plants you wanted all summer.

Monday, September 26, 2011

What a fun filled weekend I had! Thursday started me out at a barn sale where I bought some decorative bricks ($1 each) for my garden. I want to trim a small part of my flower garden with them. I also bought some cute trim, $1 per bag full, (just like I said I would look for).

On Friday, I went to 2 rummage sales and quite a few garage sales. Of course, I bought some more milk glass and a pumpkin cookie jar, for $3, for my Mother's collection. I didn't find anything at the one rummage sale in McHenry, but I did at the rummage sale in Ringwood. In addition to the cookie jar, I also bought quite a lot of comic books for the kids at 10 cents each. Pretty hard to pass up at that price.

Saturday took the kids and me to my cousin Barb's house to celebrate her birthday. We stopped at a store called Half Price Books in Highland Park. A few weeks ago, we took in a box of books and they gave us $15 for them. They buy anything in print or recorded. So, I'm now busy collecting other books and CD's etc to sell to them in a few weeks. The kids found good prices on some books and video games. We also visited the Grand Opening of the Goodwill store in Northbrook. Boy was it packed with shoppers. People were also dropping off donations. I did find a milk glass (of course) punch bowl for $5 (It is now on my kitchen counter holding snacks) and some toys. Target donates a lot of new items to them and there were also racks and racks of new Halloween costumes. We had a great day which ended with a pizza and birthday cake.

On Sunday, the kids and I went to the last Elkhorn Flea Market, in Elkhorn WI, for the season. It rained on and off and quite a few vendors left. We ducked inside the buildings to shop during the rain and did have some rain free moments. The kids bought some Japanese Pokemon from our favorite toy vendor. We were disappointed to learn that they won't be selling at Elkhorn next year. Only at the Cedarburg WI flea market. We haven't been there yet and can't wait to go. The town is supposed to be really quaint with a lot of cute shops. Too bad it rained for most of the day. The last flea market is my favorite because of all of the autumn and holiday items. Since most of the vendors left or were covered up, it was hard to find these things. I did buy some jewelry, one of which was a 3 coin bracelet., so the day was not lost.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sunday was the perfect rainy weekend day to create something. I spent most of the day using my vintage towels and tablecloths (with holes in them) and lace to create aprons. I always buy vintage tablecloths/towels even if they have holes in them because I know that I will use them for something. I don't feel guilty cutting them up since they already have condition problems. I had a great time sewing and putting my "finds" to use. I have some more tablecloths and will try to make some more aprons this week. They will be great Christmas presents. The last Elkhorn Flea Market (Elkhorn, WI) of this year is on Sunday, and I hope to find more lace and things I can use when I sew. I also finished another one of my felted purses. This one is thicker than the others I have made. My son, Austin, said that it is the best one I have made. You can see my other purses on: pathtojunkentreasure.etsy.com.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Today was a fun day garage saleing. I found some vintage china plates from 10 cents to $2 each. I like to keep a couple on hand to use as a hostess gift when I take a cake over to a party. These plates are really nice and decorative. Remember, it is not the price of the gift, but the gift that counts. That's why I love to give garage sale gifts. If you find an item that you know someone you buy gifts for would love, buy it and use it as a gift for them. I love to get garage sale gifts of items that I collect. They are usually one of a kind.

I also bought my kids a whole bag full of old Nintendo video games with controllers. They are really into playing and collecting any old game/any old system. I bought 1 game for $2 at this sale and then went to another sale across town and bought the same game for $1. They thought it was a movie. I always tell my kids that you will find an item you are looking for eventually. You don't have to pay top dollar at a garage sale. Today just proved my point.

I also stopped at a store closing in Woodstock and bought some more milk glass. I kept asking myself if I really needed more milk glass, but couldn't resist a few pieces that I didn't have. Prices were from $1-$4. I had to talk her down on the prices.

My son wants to be James Bond for Halloween. So, we will be shopping at the Goodwill and Sparrows Nest Thrift Store in McHenry after school today for a suit. I hope we find one. (No luck finding a suit. Each store had maybe 3 in XL. So, instead we bought a costume of a bottle of mustard from the Sparrows Nest. He loved it.)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

There haven't been a lot of garage sales or anything in the past week. Today, though, was my favorite rummage sale at Faith Community United Church of Christ in Prairie Grove. (Their Spring sale is March 8th and 9th). I love this sale and try hard not to miss this one. Not only do they have the best prices, but they have a great assortment of stuff. I found a box of Legos and Transformer toys for my son for only $2. He will be very excited. At one time, I collected head vases and found it hard to resist these for $2 each and ceramic planters for $1 each. (The head vases are usually priced for at least $40 at the flea markets. I have never paid that price though). I even bought my mother a cookie jar for $2. She collects farm animal cookie jars. (The pig cookie jar, $3, came from a garage sale later in the day.) I now have 3 cookie jars for a part of her Christmas present. I also found her a whole bunch of curtains for $1. She likes to change the curtains seasonally and who can beat this price. I also bought a few pieces of jewelry for $3.50 and a handbag for $1 to use the handles for my knitted purses. (Crafts store purse handles sell from $5 and up). I even found a great vintage Santa for $2. Christmas IS only about 3 months away. I also bought a stack of greeting cards. I'm now set for many different occasions. I even found some pumpkin fabric and a new pumpkin carving kit. You never know what treasures you will find. I had a great time at this sale!

The garage sales weren't as good as the rummage sale. Actually, kind of disappointing. Most of the sales were priced way too high. Remember to read my tips on having a garage sale. I went to at least 8 garage sales and only bought the pig cookie jar and some old Nintendo video games for my kids. They were priced just right. There are so many sales listed in the paper for tomorrow. I can't wait to see what I will find!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Today was one of those cold days when I had a million errands. I stopped at Sam's Club and bought the Fall/Winter Flea Market Style Magazine. I love looking at all of the creative ideas. I get excited after looking through this magazine and just want to go treasure hunting. So, I did have a few minutes to spare before picking my kids up from school and stopped in at the Goodwill store in McHenry. I saw a few items that I had donated recently. I'm glad that most of my donations had sold.

Milk glass is another of my favorite collectibles. I was excited to find a milk glass vase for 49cents. I have the same vase in 2 other sizes. They look really nice on top of my china cabinet. The other milk glass piece was $4.99. The cashier asked me what I was going to put in it since it had an odd shape. I told her that I would figure that out when I got home. My kids got a few Yugioh manga books, Simpsons watches from Burger King and some old Gameboy color games. It is so much fun shopping at Goodwill. You never know what kinds of treasures you will find. In addition, I had a 10% off coupon. The fun part is now figuring out where I will put my new treasures. Speaking of Goodwill, the Goodwill sale at Carsons starts on September 14th. Just take in clothing that you no longer want and is still in good condition and you will get coupons for a percentage off of your purchase. You can even use the coupons towards cosmetics which never goes on sale. It is a great way to clean out your closet and to buy some new things at a discount.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Some time ago, I had realized that I needed new kitchen chairs. Wood glue wasn't doing the trick anymore. But, I didn't want to spend alot on new chairs. In the town of McHenry, there is a once a year major garbage throw out day. After picking up the kids from school one day, I happened to see that someone had thrown out 6 dining room chairs and a table. 5 of the chairs were in good condition and only seemed to need new seat covers. So, we loaded all 6 chairs into my minivan and drove off. (I left the table for someone else since I didn't need a table). I washed them off and spent a few hours struggling to get off the 2 layers of old seat covers that someone had used thousands of staples to adhere. But, free is free and I finally recovered 5 of the chairs. I have a nice selection of fabric in my collection that I used to recover the chairs. The cane on the 1 chair was broken so I left it on the curb and someone else picked that one up. The chairs match my existing table perfectly and I now have new kitchen chairs. It only cost me my time and energy.

Monday, August 29, 2011

We spent the weekend in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin at the Osthoff Resort and had a great time. After we checked in, we decided to explore the downtown area and were pleasantly surprised to find that the Farmers Market was going on. Not only were there vegetables and flowers, but, garage sale/antique items, handmade jewelry, knitted items, garden art and crafts. My sons love Pokemon so they were excited to find handmade Pikachu door handle covers. We had their names put on them. I bought a nice pair of earrings from Agape Creations in Sheboygan Falls WI and a chunky bracelet from another dealer. I thought that the prices were good.

There are some really nice shops in the downtown area also. We bought some items at Rhine St. General. I can't tell you what because they are Christmas presents for my Mom. It is a fun place that carries antiques, new items, jewelry and tablecloths/aprons/bags. The prices here were excellent. It is located in an old general store and contributes to the look and feel of the store. This was definitely a great find. Another nice store was located at the train depot. They also carried antiques, new items and a variety of other items. I bought a nice vintage pinecone pin there for $4.00. This store is seasonal and only stays open until about the middle of November.

This is definitely a must go to place. We had a great time and look forward to going back there next year in the summer.

Friday, August 26, 2011

I went to the Knitting Expo today held by Stitches Magazine at the Schaumburg Convention Center with my friend Mary. I consider myself a fairly new knitter and have fallen in love with knitting. I knit and then felt (which is just washing the item in hot water to shrink) purses with 100% wool yarn. I have started to mix in other texture yarns to give the bags a whole other look. My signature look to the bags is with a broach and purse handles from recycled purses. I love the look it gives to the bags. I got a few new ideas for my bags today, but, was disappointed that I didn't buy very much yarn. I did find a nice forest green yarn for $2.00 a skein which is a good deal. I sell my bags on: pathtojunkentreasure.etsy.com.

I found this great table at a garage sale last year for $10.00 and use it to store yarn that I will be using in the near future. I had to wait for someone else to put it back before I could snatch it. I followed the person around the sale for a few minutes. I love it!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

I always buy wrought iron stands even if I don't have any ideas at the moment of how I will use them. In the past, I have used them as shoe stands or some as plant stands. Take a look at the picture of how I displayed my sons growing collection of nutcrackers. It looks great and leaves room for him to add a lot more.

A few years ago, I bought a few large wooden (doll) houses. I wasn't sure where I would store or display them, but, I loved how they looked. I came across an article in an issue of Country Living Magazine of how a homeowner used a large doll house in her laundry room. So, I borrowed that idea and hung up one of mine. It now holds all kinds of items that I use regularly.

So, don't be afraid to buy something that you like just because you can't think of an immediate need for it. You never know when inspiration will strike.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

After having coffee with my friend Christine, we walked over to my favorite store, Interiors Anew. It is located on the square in Woodstock, Illinois. It sells old and new items and has great prices. The items change daily and you need to go in more than once a week. Items sell quickly. So, when I spotted the perfect dresser (I had been looking for a tall slender one for a year now) I had to buy it. I love it. Christine and another friend Jill (who just happened to be shopping there also) helped load it into my car. My son helped me carry it upstairs when I got it home. It is perfect as it is, so I didn't have to do any work to it.

I have always loved to go junking. When my brothers and I were little, we would go looking around town on junk day with our mom. She showed us how much fun it was to find other people's "trash" and what we could make from it. I still have the child size wooden rocking chair that we found on one of those excursions.

Ever since my kids were born (I had them garage saleing in a car seat from 3 days old), I have taken them on my excursions and instilled my love for finding "treasures." They have now started on their own collections.

I will take you on my trips to garage sales, estate sales, rummage sales, flea markets and anywhere else I go looking for treasures. Please join me on this path. You can view my sales on Ebay under milena2000 or on Etsy as pathtojunkentreasure.etsy.com for the knitted felted purses that I create.

I will show you pictures of collections and items that I have and love. I will even throw in gardening advice and tips along the way.

Hi! I'm Milena

I love all things vintage. The more rusty and chipped the better. I hunt for treasures at flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores, rummage sales and even on the side of the road. I'll share my love of gardening, knitting, sewing and collecting. Come along on my pathtojunkentreasure!

Latest Rummage Sale Finds

Goodwill Opens in Huntley

3 Rummage Sales Treasures

Austin at the Harvard Exhibit

Crochet Apron

Ethan and Austin at the Elkhorn Flea Market

Me at the Elkhorn Flea Market

Felted Purse

Milk Glass/Head Vase

Rummage Sale Finds

Milk Glass from Goodwill

New Kitchen Chair

Rhine St. General Elkhart Lake WI

Farmers Market in Elkhart Lake WI

Yarn table

Nutcracker display

Doll house display

Interiors Anew

The dresser

Garden Chairs

I'm always on the lookout for items for my garden. I especially love the old iron chairs. I have purchased a few (I actually got one for $2 at a rummage sale) and I have found a few thrown out on the curb in someone's garbage. All I do is scrub off the peeling paint with steel wool, wash them well with soap and water and then spray paint them. The only chair I have left the way I found it is the chair in my billboard. I just love how the peeling paint and patina look.

Blue garden chairs

Green garden chairs

Other blue garden chairs

My Space at Carriage House Antiques

21 E. Crystal Lake Ave Crystal Lake IL

My collections

I really love collecting hammered aluminum pieces. At one time I had over 300 pieces. Since display space is limited, I have managed to keep only the pieces that I truly love. Here is a picture of some of those pieces.